Catalog
2 Gourdes
| Issuer | Trésor Public d'Haïti |
|---|---|
| Year | 1827 |
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| Composition | Paper |
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| Obverse description | The note is printed in black on yellow-green paper, with an ornate engraved border of fine guilloche work and decorative corner devices. At the centre top, an oval vignette contains the Haitian national coat of arms — a palm tree flanked by cannons and flags — surmounted by the inscription RÉPUBLIQUE D'HAÏTI. The denomination DEUX GOURDES is rendered vertically in large letters on both left and right margins, with the equivalent DEUX CENTS CENTIMES appearing at right; the lower portion carries a text panel affirming the note's legal authority under the law of 16 April 1827, with a manuscript signature of the Trésorier Général. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | The reverse is unprinted, presenting a plain yellow-green paper surface with no design, text, or ornamentation of any kind. |
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| Comments |
Haiti's Trésor Public issued this note just over two decades after independence, during a period when the young republic was still absorbing the consequences of the 1825 indemnity agreement with France — a debt of 150 million francs (later renegotiated downward) that would burden Haitian finances for over a century. Domestic paper emissions in this environment were viewed with considerable skepticism by the Haitian public, who had good reason to distrust promises printed on paper.
Pick 33 is among the earliest surviving Haitian paper issues and is extremely rare in any condition. Documentation on the actual printer remains incomplete.